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The S/S 63Ah battery is physically the same size as a non-S/S 110Ah. A ~60Ah non-S/S battery will be too small for the holder. The 110Ah battery fits perfectly.
Technical Stop Start Story
- Thread starter Mick F
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Technical Stop Start Story
The S/S 63Ah battery is physically the same size as a non-S/S 110Ah. A ~60Ah non-S/S battery will be too small for the holder. The 110Ah battery fits perfectly.
It has been pointed out that going large isn't always better....
Sweetsixteen
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All else being equal, the self discharge rate of a larger battery will be greater. Unless you are precharging the battery every time you use the car, this will have a negative impact on fuel economy. This is probably not that significant when the battery is new, but self discharge rates increase as the battery ages.
It also adds a little more weight to the car, again not hugely significant, but generally less weight = better.
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Sweetsixteen
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Doesn't that suggest that there is no optimum battery size - because it must vary depending on the use to which the vehicle is put?
Absolutely.
But the manufacturers have to choose something for an OEM battery, and like any 'one size fits all' solution, it's going to be a compromise.
Interestingly enough, when I recently replaced my GM battery on my Saab with a Varta with physical dimensions identical to the factory fit battery and also a higher output, before installing, I weighed both batteries on digital scales. The GM battery weighed exactly 1 kilo more than the brand new Varta. I suppose the technology in the new battery is more efficient etc considering the six year age gap between the new and the old battery.
For those wanting a cheap pulse charger, Lidl have them in currently at under £15
Thanks, they're in stock over here too! Just picked one up for 19euros, great value.
Probably lost a lot of its water.
Think you might have got that the wrong way round - it was the old, worn out, lower capacity battery that was heavier
.
Facepalm.....
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So the tank data is in for the new 110Ah battery. 4.7l/100km or 59.7mpg over 720km (the on board display reported 5.3). Mostly hills driving (some spirited) with a bit of freeway cruising, moderate A/C use, the fact that S/S was available hasn't had much effect as it's been all country miles. I believe that makes it the best TA tank reported to date, and with 7000km up, there's more to come.
ahmett
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Interesting thought occurred to me. If I was getting 3.7l.100km on the MFD, and the MFD turned out to be 0.6l/100km off, that meant my A-B-A trip in the hills actually netted 3.1 and probably around 2.9l/100km (the more you hypermile the further out the MFD becomes). That's very nearly 100mpg All I need do now it fit some accurate instruments and put on my hypermiler cap.
All I need do now it fit some accurate instruments and put on my hypermiler cap.So I charged the battery with my new 'Lidl' charger......very good piece of kit btw. It accepted a charge for about 2 hours and then I left it on a residual trickle over night. Yesterday I reconnected and drove around - took about 10 miles for system to relearn and lo and behold it returned to restarting after about 10 secs. This morning driving in to work it stopped ok at every set of lights but again restarted after 5 or 10 secs. It was zero degrees on the dash so I'm a bit suprised it kicked in at all - I thought it was programmed not to work at very low temps? So it seems the battery is knackered after 10 months from a SS point of view. I expected it to work ok after the charge at least for a few days so I'm quite suprised. What's unique about an SS battery - is it just the capacity?
David Bliss
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I have just read the posts about stop start problems. I now have a car that has stop start (it has a Varta, 60 AH, 590) and see that people are having battery problems after a short period. Some posts are saying it is not a good idea to fit a larger capacity battery as it would take longer to recharge, this is only true if you take more out - as with any battery. A larger battery will work under less stress for longer periods and last longer, it is a bit like a heated swimming pool - it takes longer to heat it up but also it holds the heat much longer. As for batteries aging and taking longer to charge, in reality they can't maintain a sustained output for as long as when they were new, they will also take less charge so the charge rate will drop off quickly. Be wary of cheap chargers, check the output of your charger when connected to the battery after it has be on charge for some while, use a volt meter, don't let the volts come up too high and, unless you are using trickle charge, do not leave the battery charging for too long as this will shorten the life of the battery (I once had a cheaper charger that had a voltage of 18 volts, if this was left on for any length of time it wouldn't do the battery any good at all.)
I use a simple way to trickle charge, just putting a 3 watt bulb in the circuit so the battery charges at 3 watts. Doing this overnight is enough to keep the battery topped up, but it shouldn't be necessary if all the systems are working properly. I started using Optima batteries on our farm about 20 years ago, a single Optima battery often replaced two heavy duty ordinary batteries on a tractor or combine. They are a fraction of the weight and don't mind being inactive for long periods, so far I have found that they outlast anything else. The initial cost is higher, but I think they are worth the extra expense. I do not know how well they would perform with stop start but it could be worth looking into this.
I can't understand why the Fiat is having problems. A friend of mine has a three year old car with stop start, it tells him when the battery is low and the stop start is automatically disabled. This has only happened at night since the lights are on. It then automatically reinstates itself once the battery has recharged sufficiently (usually after about half an hours driving). He has never had to boost the battery himself to keep it working properly.
I use a simple way to trickle charge, just putting a 3 watt bulb in the circuit so the battery charges at 3 watts. Doing this overnight is enough to keep the battery topped up, but it shouldn't be necessary if all the systems are working properly. I started using Optima batteries on our farm about 20 years ago, a single Optima battery often replaced two heavy duty ordinary batteries on a tractor or combine. They are a fraction of the weight and don't mind being inactive for long periods, so far I have found that they outlast anything else. The initial cost is higher, but I think they are worth the extra expense. I do not know how well they would perform with stop start but it could be worth looking into this.
I can't understand why the Fiat is having problems. A friend of mine has a three year old car with stop start, it tells him when the battery is low and the stop start is automatically disabled. This has only happened at night since the lights are on. It then automatically reinstates itself once the battery has recharged sufficiently (usually after about half an hours driving). He has never had to boost the battery himself to keep it working properly.
David Bliss
Member
I have just read the posts about stop start problems. I now have a car that has stop start (it has a Varta, 60 AH, 590) and see that people are having battery problems after a short period. Some posts are saying it is not a good idea to fit a larger capacity battery as it would take longer to recharge, this is only true if you take more out - as with any battery. A larger battery will work under less stress for longer periods and last longer, it is a bit like a heated swimming pool - it takes longer to heat it up but also it holds the heat much longer. As for batteries aging and taking longer to charge, in reality they can't maintain a sustained output for as long as when they were new, they will also take less charge so the charge rate will drop off quickly. Be wary of cheap chargers, check the output of your charger when connected to the battery after it has be on charge for some while, use a volt meter, don't let the volts come up too high and, unless you are using trickle charge, do not leave the battery charging for too long as this will shorten the life of the battery (I once had a cheaper charger that had a voltage of 18 volts, if this was left on for any length of time it wouldn't do the battery any good at all.)
I use a simple way to trickle charge, just putting a 3 watt bulb in the circuit so the battery charges at 3 watts. Doing this overnight is enough to keep the battery topped up, but it shouldn't be necessary if all the systems are working properly. I started using Optima batteries on our farm about 20 years ago, a single Optima battery often replaced two heavy duty ordinary batteries on a tractor or combine. They are a fraction of the weight and don't mind being inactive for long periods, so far I have found that they outlast anything else. The initial cost is higher, but I think they are worth the extra expense. I do not know how well they would perform with stop start but it could be worth looking into this.
I can't understand why the Fiat is having problems. A friend of mine has a three year old car with stop start, it tells him when the battery is low and the stop start is automatically disabled. This has only happened at night since the lights are on. It then automatically reinstates itself once the battery has recharged sufficiently (usually after about half an hours driving). He has never had to boost the battery himself to keep it working properly.
I use a simple way to trickle charge, just putting a 3 watt bulb in the circuit so the battery charges at 3 watts. Doing this overnight is enough to keep the battery topped up, but it shouldn't be necessary if all the systems are working properly. I started using Optima batteries on our farm about 20 years ago, a single Optima battery often replaced two heavy duty ordinary batteries on a tractor or combine. They are a fraction of the weight and don't mind being inactive for long periods, so far I have found that they outlast anything else. The initial cost is higher, but I think they are worth the extra expense. I do not know how well they would perform with stop start but it could be worth looking into this.
I can't understand why the Fiat is having problems. A friend of mine has a three year old car with stop start, it tells him when the battery is low and the stop start is automatically disabled. This has only happened at night since the lights are on. It then automatically reinstates itself once the battery has recharged sufficiently (usually after about half an hours driving). He has never had to boost the battery himself to keep it working properly.
Sweetsixteen
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How slow I am!
Optima for my boat is a no-brainer - it always cranks perfectly even after long periods of inactivity. But it never dawned on me until now to put one in a car.
About three times the cost of a similar standard battery, so any theoretical advantages need to be weighed carefully.
Optima's strengths are lower discharge rates, longer periods of idleness without suffering, and more powerful cranking in adverse conditions.
Of course, my little Panda is used daily, is an easy starter, and keeps its battery in good condition by the way the car is used.
For me - not worth buying Optima therefore. For others in tougher climes or different usage patterns it may be a worthwhile investment.
Optima for my boat is a no-brainer - it always cranks perfectly even after long periods of inactivity. But it never dawned on me until now to put one in a car.
About three times the cost of a similar standard battery, so any theoretical advantages need to be weighed carefully.
Optima's strengths are lower discharge rates, longer periods of idleness without suffering, and more powerful cranking in adverse conditions.
Of course, my little Panda is used daily, is an easy starter, and keeps its battery in good condition by the way the car is used.
For me - not worth buying Optima therefore. For others in tougher climes or different usage patterns it may be a worthwhile investment.
